MoD March|April ’16

The past few months brought a broad mix of new businesses to East
Nashville.

In mid-January, DancEast leader Emily Masters branched out with a complementary East cousin: YogaEast, meant to “offer a more complete range of movement expression opportunities for the neighbors in
her community.”

Classes are held at 805 Woodland St., Suite 314, and run $10 a class (with discounts for repeat visits). To take a look at the offerings and schedule, visit yogaeastnashville.org.

Also in January, The Basement East, aka The Beast, broadened its offerings too, officially launching The Pub at The Basement East. They’re under the same roof, but The Pub gets its own name because the guilty parties are serving up far more than a few quick at-the-bar venue snacks. The menu includes a mix of Vietnamese-Mexican fusion street food, from Banh Mi or Cubano sandwiches to prosciutto maki (yes, a sushi-style roll wrapped in tasty cured ham), fresh spring rolls, and build-your-own nachos or rice bowls. Not your average club fare; not your average restaurant fare, either.

Caps doffed to the new Mister Hats, which opened in January at 921 Gallatin Ave. The shop — a new East Nashville outpost for a Memphis-bred brand — carries a variety of hat and cap brands, from Stetson to Kangol. The shop’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and you can also window shop/actual shop online at mrhats.com.

Long-awaited new East Side craft brewery Southern Grist Brewing opened its doors in early February at 1201 Porter Road (the former Boone & Sons space), serving creative brews in the taproom and in to-go crowlers (a can/growler hybrid). Among the first creations poured: a “Nashville Mule” sour ale inspired by the Moscow Mule cocktail and a coffee milk stout called “Wishing Well.”

In mid-February, Inglewood’s new bookstore, Atomic Nashville, welcomed neighbors at 1603 Riverside Drive. On the shelves: lots of local (and other) books, local art, local music, and more. atomicnash.com will share the latest.

Some fresh fashions hit East Nashville in early February too, as “boho/beach” clothing and accessories shop Lucaya Clothing Co. opened its doors at 713 Porter, joining other Porter East spots including Pony Show and Apple & Oak. At Lucaya, ladies can shop for dresses and jewelry and skincare and more, all with that relaxed/sunny vibe.

The shop is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and you can also snag stuff online at shoplucaya.com.

As of Valentine’s Day, 5 Points has a new floral name: FLWR Shop at 123 S. 11th St., providing “fashionable and stylishly discerning residents of Nashville with a thoughtfully curated selection of the freshest
flowers available.”

As of press time, their proper retail grand opening was set for March 15, but shopkeeps Alex Vaughan and Quinn Kiesow had something of a soft opening around the big floral holiday o’ love, building up calloused hands (and selling out of pretty well everything). The two longtime floral industry pros did time in Los Angeles and New York before putting down roots here, and at FLWR Shop, they’re offering pre-arranged bouquets, potted plants, and a subscription flower service that puts bundles of blooms on your doorstep on a weekly or monthly basis.

To keep up with FLWR news (and to ogle what they’re putting together):flwrshop.com.

In late February, the brothers behind Nicoletto’s Pasta Co., Ryan and Danny Nicoletto, invited diners in to their new Nicoletto’s Italian Kitchen at 2905 Gallatin Pike, Suite A, right next to Mickey’s Tavern.

The combination restaurant/market has a 16-seat eat-in space, where diners can enjoy make-your-own pasta bowls with a variety of fresh-cut pastas and classic sauces, from marinara to Alfredo, plus hand-rolled meatballs (and vegan meatballs) and other proteins. From the market part of the kitchen, there are dry and fresh pastas, desserts, sauces, and more.

If you’ve been looking for social media/marketing help, there are some new(ish) neighbors you might want to meet: Parachute Media, who came our way via Melrose, setting up shop in the rehabbed brick building at 708 Gallatin, across from the Eastland Kroger.

Some cool neighborhood connections to note: They’re working/have worked with a bunch of neighborhood-tied names, including Edley’s and Turnip Truck, and the cool and arty signage on the front facade of their space was brushed up there by East Nashville artist Andee Rudloff, who’s done a ton of Tomato Art Fest-related mural work around here. “I like to support the local economy where I live and work,” founder and CEO Ryan Carter told us, “and the fact that she’s an East Nashvillian, she was a perfect fit for Parachute Media.”

By the time this hits the streets, there will be a new place to graze over in the former Silly Goose space at 1888 Eastland Ave. The the folks behind The Wild Cow have been working on Graze, “an all-day plant-based casual restaurant” that shares a non-meat focus with its bovine brother around the way, but will bring its own brand of flavors. Check out our “Know Your Neighbor” piece on owner Melanie Cochran (pg. 37) for more info.

Over in 37207 at 2121 Gains St., some of our art-inclined neighbors have launched Construct — “an open space for all art forms, hosting community practices, classes, individual artists, and events.”

Construct’s organizers are aiming to host dancers, performance artists, visual artists, and more within the new place’s 2,300 square feet of flexible space. Although the doors have been opened since January, they’re still working on updating and upgrading things, and at press time, had plans to host a proper grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 23.

At the start of the year, outdoor/active gear retailer Cumberland Transit closed down its East Nashville location at 1900 Eastland. Owner/“godfather” Allen Doty told us the company opted not to re-up their lease for pretty simple reasons.

“It wasn’t because we were making too much money over there that we closed,” he said. “Had we had enough business over there to keep the doors open, we certainly would have kept the doors open.”

The larger flagship Cumberland Transit on the west side of town (2807 West End Ave.) remains, and Doty said we shouldn’t necessarily count the outdoorsy business out of East Side life for good.

“We like East Nashville [and] we certainly are keeping our eyes open for another, busier location,” he said. “There’s a lot of good eatin’ over there, a lot of good music over there, a lot of good people over there. Why wouldn’t we?”

Although the doors had been closed for a bit prior, we finally got word in late February that neighborhood sweets shop Sophisticakes wouldn’t be reopening.

“Our Sophisticakes family has recently gone through an unexpected and heart-wrenching personal family situation. While we have been working through it as best as possible over the last several months, it’s become financially necessary for us to close,” owner Heather Peters told us. “This decision has not come without a lot of thought, heartache, and tears. We are so grateful for all of those that supported us during our year in business in East Nashville. Every single one of you brought us joy and support that we can never express how truly grateful we have been for it. Thank you for your prayers and love.”

The business had been open at 707 Porter Road since last spring.

Also shuttered for a minute now: pop star Tiffany’s Tiffany’s Boutique, which had been sharing vintage/new fashions at 1006 Fatherland St., Suite 201. Tiffany stepped back from the shop to focus on another love: music. At press time, she was hard at work on a new album called A Million Miles.

“The charm of the store was that customers or fans could come in and have a shopping experience with me personally,” Tiffany told Florida Today. “With me being gone so much recording and touring soon, I knew the experience would not be the same, and I did not want to do that to people.”

She’s not dropping her shopping side altogether, though — the singer also told the newspaper a boutique truck that would let her “bring that shopping experience to the fans” was in the works.

Also early in the year: Vintage shop Live True Vintage closed its doors at 3123 Gallatin Pike after three years in that space. It’s not a total shuttering, just a move, but said move isn’t keeping Live True in the neighborhood — owner Tammy Pope told us that a new space in the Lakewood area should open in March or April.

At the end of January, the Southern Thrift location at 2701 Gallatin Pike closed up. It was one of four Southern Thrifts in Nashville; the others — on Lebanon Pike, Charlotte Pike, and Metroplex Drive — will stay open.

Moves that are still in the neighborhood: BarreAmped Nashville EAST, which opened on Woodland in July, was in the middle of a move to 1002 Fatherland St., Suite 202, at press time. Clothing shop Vinnie Louise recently relocated to a new space just a few doors down from their old space — they’re now sharing stylish ladies wear at 737 Porter Road.

COMING SOON

March should bring a welcome new food stop to McFerrin Park: The Birdhouse, a “(Korean) Fried Chicken Joint” at 726 McFerrin Ave.

Chefs Chris Futrell and Casey Carstens are bringing Southern roots and a love of Korean street food together at the restaurant, which will be serving the aforementioned Korean fried chicken, along with bibimbap, Korean BBQ brisket, and more, all with an all-natural focus.

Take-out will be a big part of The Birdhouse, but patio seating and delivery were also in the plans. Keep up with the latest at birdhousenashville.com.

The former location of The Family Wash finally has a new tenant: Co-owner Todd Hedrick shared plans for Vinyl Tap, a craft beer bar and record store that was in the build-out phase at 2038 Greenwood Ave. at press time.

Word is we should expect lots of local craft beer, wine, and a limited food menu, plus new and used vinyl to buy. Live music might happen in the future, too. Last update we got, Hedrick was shooting for May to open; keep up with Vinyl Tap’s progress at facebook.com/vinyltapnashville.

Adapted from the Oscar-winning film, Shakespeare in Love will have you on the edge of your seat with boisterous wit, riotous sword fights, grand theatrics, and secret romance. Performances are at TPAC’s Johnson Theater March 23 – April 13. Enter now for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show!

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